warwick

1861 – electric telegraph opened In November 1861 the electric telegraph line was opened to the public, Warwick was the last town on the line in Queensland. A correspondent of Rockhampton Bulletin and Central Queensland Advertiser wrote about this advanced technology: “We are expecting to be in instantaneous communication with Sydney by the electric telegraph in a day or two. The line is open to the public as far as Warwick, the most remote station on our side of the boundary; and I may next letter, have the pleasure of sending you the news from either Sydney, Melbourne, or Adelaide, which will be only a few minutes old when I dispatch it. Verily, we live in eventful times. I don’t despair of sending a telegraphic message to England yet!” Source: www.everywherehistory.com/warwick-history-events-and-people/

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That view hasnt changed much

The primary role of a Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) member was that of nursing orderly in hospitals, carrying out menial but essential tasks - scrubbing floors, sweeping, dusting and cleaning bathrooms and other areas, dealing with bedpans, and washing patients. They were not employed in military hospitals, except as ward and pantry maids; rather, they worked in Red Cross convalescent and rest homes, canteens, and on troop trains. The role of VADs did not significantly evolve between the wars. VADs in the Second World War were given more medical training, but they were not fully qualified nurses. They worked in convalescent hospitals, on hospital ships and the blood bank as well as on the home front. In 1943, the government created the Australian Women's Auxiliary Service (AWAS) to control the large numbers of VADs employed by the military. In 1967, the VAD movement became known as the Voluntary Aid Service Corps (VASC). Source: www.awm.gov.au/articles/encyclopedia/vad